Note 359 — The Drawing Room. (continued 2)

These are the words of Lord Keeper North's Biographer: "There are of Law-Books, institutions of various sorts, and reports of cases (now) almost innumerable. The latter bear most the controversial law, and are read as authority such as may be quoted: and I may say the gross of law lecture lies in them. But to spend weeks and months wholly in them, is like horses in a string before a loaden waggon. They are indeed a careful sort of reading, and chiefly require common-placing, and that makes the work go on slowly. His Lordship therefore used to mix some institutionary reading with them, as after a fulness of the reports in a morning, about noon, to take a repast in Stamford, Compton, or the Lord Coke's Pleas of the Crown and Jurisdiction of Courts, Manwood of the Forest Law, Fitzherbert's Natura Brevium; and also to look over some of the Antiquarian Books, as Britton, Bracton, Fleta, Fortescue, Hengham, the old Tenures Narrationes Novæ, the old Natura Brevium, and the Diversity of Courts. These, at times, for change and refreshment, being books all fit to be known. And those that, as to authority, are obsoleted, go rounder off-hand, because they require little common-placing, and that only as to matter very singular and remarkable, and such as the student fancies he shall desire afterwards to recover. And, besides all this, the day afforded him room for a little History, especially of England, modern books, and Controversy in Print, &c. In this manner he ordered his own studies, but with excursions into Humanity and Arts, beyond what may be suitable to the genius of every young student in the law." Life of Lord Keeper Guildford, pp. 18, 19. North's Lives, edit. 1754, 4to.